Sierra Club Florida has joined a list of local and statewide environmental organizations to endorse the Polk Forever referendum that will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Sierra’s endorsement is key because it is a diverse grassroots organization. What is now the Ancient Islands Group, which includes members inn Polk County, of the Florida Chapter was organized in 1973.
So far there is no organized opposition to the referendum. An earlier referendum approved in 1994 did face organized opposition.
The Polk Forever campaign seeks to gain voter approval to renew the property tax to purchase and preserve more environmentally important land in Polk County.
The tax of .20 mil would cost the average homeowner $30 a year. If voters approve the measure, it would be levied for 20 years, beginning in 2023.
The idea behind the referendum is to preserve as much land as possible either through outright purchases or the purchase of conservation easements to protect aquifer recharge areas, water bodies and important wildlife habitat and green spaces for future generations.
Polk is undergoing intense growth pressure that has led to predictions that its population, which was around half a million when the 1994 referendum passed, will grow to near 1 million in the next quarter of a century.
That is why the timing of the referendum is important because time is running out to protect what’s left of Polk’s wild lands.
To learn more about the referendum and how you can support it, go to polkforever.com . To learn more about the work of Sierra Club Florida, go to www.sierraclub/org/florida .